Southern Career Firefighters Welcome Inquiry Findings

Career firefighters in the south are pleased the Government is listening to its ongoing concerns about inadequate and aging fleet.

The Parliamentary inquiry released this week criticised Fire and Emergency New Zealand about the poor state and management of its appliances, and has called for a rapid reset of leadership culture.

Southern branch of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU), Invercargill vice president Brent Wilson said the report vindicates and confirms everything they have been saying all along.

"Hopefully those responsible are removed from their positions," he said.

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden spoke out this afternoon saying she has lost confidence in the chief executive of FENZ after she learned he has withheld information from her since September last year.

Firefighters have been working without a current collective agreement for over two years, and recently submitted a petition to Government with 50,000 signatures, calling for a greater inquiry into FENZ spending.

Regarding its aging fleet, Brent said Invercargill's ladder fire appliance, which serves as far away as Queenstown, is 15 years old and at the end of its life.

With only a 17m long ladder - the city has been waiting for a new 'Type-5' appliance that has the longer 32m ladder, that many stations around the country also desperately need.

"Our nearest 32m ladder is in Dunedin, which is also one of the ones overdue for replacement."

The report from the inquiry also calls for action on emergency response capability and capacity.

The Government has directed FENZ to record the true state of responsiveness of all types of incidents, including when appliances are not available due to unserviceability or scheduled maintenance with no replacement.